Wiki article · Collection 03

Coil Simulation

Engineering reference on Coil Simulation for wireless power system design, integration, and deployment.

6 minArticle 15/50Coil Design

Coil Simulation — educational diagram — Fig.: Educational diagram for “Coil Simulation”.

Coil simulation predicts inductance, resistance, coupling, and field patterns before cutting copper. Analytical formulas and 2D axisymmetric models give fast iteration; 3D finite-element models include ferrite saturation, shields, and chassis steel at the cost of setup time and mesh expertise.

Simulation must include frequency effects: AC resistance proxies, ferrite loss models, and optionally eddy currents in nearby conductors. A DC magnetostatic FEM result is insufficient for resonant charger design.

01Model build checklist

Full current path including return conductor or mirror boundary.
Ferrite B-H curves and loss data at operating frequency.
Mesh refinement in skin depth regions for copper (when supported).
Parametric sweeps for gap and lateral offset.

Coil Simulation — supporting diagram — Fig.: Supporting illustration for “Coil Simulation”.

02Correlation to test

Compare simulated L, k, and field maps to impedance analyzer and hall-probe or search-coil measurements on the same fixture. Track simulation error across builds — a model consistently off by 8% on L is still useful if bias is stable. Update models when potting compounds or ferrite lots change.

03Limits

Manufacturing tolerance on wire placement not captured in ideal CAD.
Temperature-dependent material properties during continuous operation.
Complex fleet environments (random metal debris) are not in standard FEM.